Laura Everding - Osteopathie und Physiotherapie für Pferd & Hund

09/01/2026

Genau so ist es!👍

Did you know? Horses don’t follow the laws of physics!?

Apparently, there’s an idea floating around that once you say the word biotensegrity, biomechanics and physics quietly leave the room. It keeps popping up as comments on my posts discussing biomechanics.

The universe obeys physics. Galaxies do. Stars do. Fluids, bones, tendons, bridges, trees and tectonic plates all do.
But horses? No, horses are apparently exempt. Because… biotensegrity.

Let’s clear this up.

Biotensegrity does not replace physics.
It does not invalidate biomechanics.
It does not allow a horse to ignore force, moment, leverage, or gravity.

Biotensegrity is how living structures cope with physics, not how they escape it.

Physics describes what forces exist.
Biomechanics applies those laws to biological structures. Joints, tendons, bones, motion.
Biotensegrity describes how living tissues distribute, store, redirect, and tolerate those forces over time using tension, elasticity, and redundancy.

That’s the hierarchy. Not three competing belief systems.

A tensegral structure still obeys Newton’s laws. It still has centres of rotation. It still experiences moments. It still fails when loads exceed capacity. Just often later, and more creatively, than rigid structures.

Yes, horses are non-linear systems.
Yes, forces are distributed.
Yes, tissues store and release energy.
Yes, compensation exists.

None of that means moments stop existing. None of it means equilibrium stops mattering. None of it means geometry, leverage, or load paths become irrelevant.

In fact, biotensegrity only works because biomechanics is obeyed. It is a buffering strategy. A way of surviving imperfect alignment, uneven terrain, fatigue, growth, and injury within the rules of physics.

And here’s the key point that keeps getting missed

Compensation is not a design goal.
It’s a survival mechanism.

A biotensegral system can tolerate imbalance, for a time. But persistent imbalance still loads the weakest link. Tendons still strain. Ligaments still fail. Structures still collapse when limits are exceeded. Otherwise horses wouldn’t get injured!!!

So when we talk about biomechanics, equilibrium, moments, and balance, we’re not denying biotensegrity. We’re describing the force environment that biotensegrity is responding to.

Horses are not magical beings that transcend nature.
They are extraordinarily well-adapted biological systems operating within it.

And understanding the physics doesn’t reduce that complexity, it explains why it exists.

27/10/2025

Häufig bei Behandlungen zu finden, eine Einschränkung des dorsalen Gleiten des Schulterblattes und ein rückständiges Vorderbein. Hier kann man die Bewegung und die Auswirkungen auf die Halsbasis sehr gut erkennen.

04/10/2025

Leider werden viele Pferde immer noch viel zu früh gearbeitet. Die körperlichen Schäden sind teilweise immens.

13/09/2025

We will go out on a limb here…
Horses need their ribs to be functional.

That should not be a shocking or controversial topic, yet it is. Clinical significance of ECVM is highly controversial between veterinarians. ECVM horses are sometimes missing their first ribs.

I have heard the excuse that these horses have an anatomical variant. That if it was clinically significant or a malformation they could not be competing. That if they can compete with it- it must be a “normal variant” and not a malformation. If that is the logic used then that rule must stand for all – navicular, hock arthritis, OCDs, kissing spine, neck arthritis. As those are all accepted clinically significant diseases. We recognize that horses can be born with, develop early on, or can occur with use but yet often do compete successfully with these conditions.

Yes that missing rib and malformed lower neck can be the cause of pain, reactivity, lameness, girthiness, behavioral concerns, tripping/stumbling ex. Yes, it is a significant diagnosis, similar to the rest mentioned above. Some horses can be managed to have successful careers, and some cannot. However, missing your first rib, having your ventral neck muscles malformed and compressing your brachial plexus in the wrong area is indeed clinically significant, no one will ever convince us otherwise.

All to often, owners have been told heir horse’s necks were normal, but yet the malformation is present. Owners, trainers, and veterinarians who cite one paper determining that ECVM is not clinically significant, ignore their horses’ clinical signs, and discredit ECVM as a possible clinical cause - will always be invited to come see a necropsy with Rexos. Not all ECVM horses are unusable, similar to kissing spines- some struggle while others do not. They all however need support, management, and to be heard when they give subtle signs of pain. When you necropsy a horse who is clinically affected - their bodies so vividly tell a story of disfunction and pain. These horses show their stories of pain so clearly in necropsies. They can have one or more missing ribs, incorrect muscle attachments (thus biomechanics affected), serious nerve entrapments, trachea malformations, and more. It is impossible to walk away thinking this is not clinically significant.

Photo of rudimentary first rib, with abnormal brachial plexus placement trapped under. Yes that would be painful and cause tripping/forelimb lameness.

21/03/2025

▶️Hier kann man eine typische Deckenscheuerstelle sehen.

❓Auf dem ersten Blick scheint das ja nicht so schlimm zu sein.❓

🚨Bei diesen Pferden kann man aber mehrere Läsionen im Bereich CTÜ, HWS und kompletten Schultergürtel finden.

Keine Wunder, stell dir mal vor du müsstest mehrere Stunden am Tag mit einer unpassenden Jacke rumlaufen. Oder einen am Hals zu eng geschnürten Bikini tragen.

➡️Bei manchen ist die Scheuerstelle nur einseitig, dann sollte man sich das ganze Pferd noch einmal genauer anschauen, idealerweise einmal therapeutisch durchchecken lassen. Asymmetrien könnten ein Hinweis auf gesundheitliche Probleme sein.

07/12/2024

ECVM kurz erklärt:

There has been so much going on around the topic of ECVM, this congenital malformation is one we are diagnosing, managing and studying at Denali Equine in partnership with Rexos Inc, under the guidance of the legendary Dr. Sharon May-Davis. We wanted to give you the top ten points on ECVM facts. (Sorry this is long- Well worth the full read!)

1. ECVM is a congenital condition, meaning they are born with it. We suspect it is a recessive genetic disorder because two unaffected adults can produce offspring with it. There are several groups racing to find the genetics behind this condition. More information on the horizon.

2. ECVM is not a fatal diagnosis. However, it can be. It depends on the severity of the malformation and how well the horse can functionally compensate.

3. Radiographs of the lower neck are necessary to diagnose the condition. These radiographs must be clear lateral and obliques of C6, C7 and ideally T1. These can be done in the field for most horses. However larger generators do get better images.

4. Variability: Horses can be either a bilateral or unilateral malformation of C6, which in 52% of C6 cases can transpose either bilaterally or unilaterally. To C7; T1 and the first ribs are variably affected.

5. Studies show horses with transposition of the ventral lamina to C7 are more likely to suffer from clinical neck pain than horses with normal anatomy. In our experience horses with rib malformations have more severe clinical signs than those with normal ribs (no clear studies yet).

6. The bones absolutely do not tell the whole story. However, bones do not lie. They often indicate the level of soft tissue malformations present. The more severe the boney changes- the more severe the soft tissue is altered around them.

7. Clinical picture: all horses are not lame, but they do all have subtle clinical signs. Most often the clinical signs are not limb related lameness (but can be). These horses can show signs of the pain ethogram, rearing, sporadic behavior, abnormal front limb flight patterns (especially with equipment), girthiness, resistance to go forward, doesn’t like physical touch (brushing, blanketing ex). The signs are so variable for every horse!

8. The common things heard from owners/trainers:
* The horse was always bad from the start (this is concerning for the more severe cases)
* The horse was fine until it wasn’t. We find this is from something changed in the program. i.e., was imported, switched barns, changed jobs.
* They don’t understand why the horse is failing quicker than usual as it gets older. As the horse ages the clinical signs become more apparent. The body can only manage for so long. Think of it this way- the foundation was built wrong from the beginning. Therefore, it takes time for the cracks in your walls or floors to show, it then takes those cracks a while before they become a structural problem in your house.
* A minor incident happened and now they’re not ok. Suspect an injury can cause the horse to spiral out of stabilization or have the ability to compensate. An example could be getting cast or trailering event then the horse was never the same. Example, you do not know your house wasn’t built well until the storm blows it over.

9. These horses have significant soft tissue pathology on necropsies. Therefore, no matter what the data is showing us: If the horse has ECVM, is clinical, and other differentials have been ruled out these horses are clinically affected by the ECVM.

10. On necropsies we have found:
* Missing, malformed and fractured ribs
* Abnormal nerve patterns, these nerves can be totally entrapped and compressed by abnormal muscle patterns. The dorsal scalene can trap the large nerves of the brachial plexus within its abnormal paths. The phrenic nerve can get pulled inappropriately and leave impressions within the ventral scalene.
* Abnormal muscles: dorsal scalene, ventral scalene, iliocostalis, longus coli, re**us abdominal, intercostal muscles, serratus ventails cervicis. All these muscles have critical roles in stability, proprioception, and biomechanics.
* Abnormal vascular patterns
* Trachea abnormalities
* Fascial changes

ECVM is currently a controversial and sensitive topic so we thought we would share a few known quick facts to help you understand this issue better. Please go to our website (www.DenaliEquine.com) to find more information and links to the current studies on this disease. We are researching and studying these horses! We are working on several angles of research right now throughout Non-Profit Rexos Inc. If you would like more information on how you can help, please reach out!

DeClue Equine saddlefitting.us

17/08/2024

18/06/2024

Die Tiernotdienst-Webseite für den Kreis Dortmund ist online!

Unter http://www.tiernotdienst-dortmund.de kann die für die Wochenenden Notdienst habende Kleintierpraxis aus Dortmund nachgeschaut werden.

WICHTIG: Immer erst in der Praxis anrufen. Die Öffnungszeiten unterscheiden sich von Praxis zu Praxis.

Ganz lieben Dank an die Tierarztpraxis am Dorney, die diese Seite betreut 🙏💪!

Ebenfalls übernimmt die Praxis Ostermann viele Dienste, an denen die ursprünglich eingeteilte Praxis den Dienst nicht leisten kann.

19/04/2024

Das sollte man immer im Hinterkopf haben. Mit Balancepads kann man Pferde gut auf Anhängerfahrten vorbereiten.

Wissenschafter der Massey Universität in Neuseeland haben untersucht, wie sich Pferde während einer Fahrt im Anhänger bewegen und welche Kräfte sie dabei abfedern bzw. ausgleichen müssen, um im Gleichgewicht zu bleiben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen: Eine An...